Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1887-07-24

jamie"
Good, missile, that is all right now.
You can keep of the ghost of the dead
Englishwoman while | kill Baas Frank.
But first he must be fast asleep. Fast,
fast asleep"
Then slowly and with the uttermost
caution they once more creptdown the hill.
This time there was no light to be seen in
the direction of the wagon-house, and no
sound to be heard except the regular tramp
of the sentries. But their business did not
lie in the direction of the wagon-house;
they left that OF their right and cufved
round towards the blue-gum avenue.
When they got nearly opposite to the first
tree they halted in q patch of stones, and
Jantie went forward 10 reconnOitre. Pre-
Sently he returned with the intelligence
that all the Beers who were with the wagon
mad gone to sleep, but that Mullec was
still sitting in his tent, thinking. Then
they erept ON, perfectly sure that if they
were not heard they would not be seen,
curtained as they were by the dense mist
and darkness, till at length they reached
the bole of the first big gum-tree. Five
PAGES from this tree Frank Muller's tent
was pitched. 1t had a light in it which
caused the wet tent TO glow in the mist, ~
though it had beenTubbed with phosphorus,
and on this lurid canvas the shadow OF
Frank Muller was gigantically limned
He was so placed that the light east a
magnified reflection of his every feature
and even of his expression upon the screen
before them. The attitude in which he
was seated was his fayOrite one when he
was plunged in thought, his bands resting
on his knees and his gaze fixed on vacancy.
lie was thinking of his triumph, and ofall
that he had gone through To win it, and Of
all that it would bring him. lie held the
trump cards now, and the game was in his
own hand. He had triumphed, and yet
over him hung the shadow of that curse
that dogs the presence of our accomplished
desires. Too often, even with the innocent,
does the seed of our destruction lurk in
the rich blossom of our hopes, and much
more is this so with the guilty. Somehow
this thought was present in his mind to-
night, and in a rough, half-educated way
he grasped its truth. Once more the say
ing of the old Boer general rose in his
mind. II believe that there is 4 God
believe that God sets u limit TO q mans
dOingS. If he is going too far, God kills
him"
What a dreadful thing it would be if
the old fool were right after all! Surprising
that there were q God, and God were to
kill him tonight, and hurry of his soul,
if he had one, to ONE dim place OF unend-
ing fear All his superstitiOns awOke at
the thought, and he shivered so violently
that the shadow of the shiver caused the
outlines of the gigantic form upon the
canvas 20 tremble up and down.
Then, rising with an angry curse, he
hastily threw off his outer clothing, and
having turned down but not extinguished
the rough paraffine lamp, flung himself
upon the little camp bedstead, which
ereaked and grOaned beneath his weight
like a thing in pain.
Then came silence, only broken nv the
drip. drip, of the rain from the gum leaves
overhead and the rattling Of the bOughS
whenever a breath of air stirred them. 1t
was an eerie and depressing night, a night
that might we'll have tried the nerves of
any strong man who, wet through and
WORKOUT, had been obliged to crouch upon
the open and endure it. How much more
awful was it then to the unfortunate wO-
man who, half brOken-hearted, fever
stricken, and well-nigh craZed with suffer
ing of mind and body, waited in it 10 see
murder done! Slowly the minutes passed.
and at every rain-drop or rustic ola bOugh
her guilty conscience summoned mp 4 host
Of fears. But by the mere power of her
will she kept them down. She would 90
through with il. Yes, she would 20
through with it. Surely he must he asleep
by now.
They crept up to the tent and placed
their ears within two inches Of his head.
Yes, he was asleep; the sound of his breath
ing rose and fell with the regularity of IN
infants.
jess turned round and touched her COM
paniOn upon the shoulder. lie did not
move, but she felt that his arm WAS shak-
ing.
"NOT." she whispered.
Still he hung hack. 1t was evident to
her that the long waiting had taken the
courage ont of him.
'Re n man." she whispered again, so
low that the sound scarcely reached his
ears although her lips were almost touch
ing them. ''go, and mind you strike home!'
Then ut last she heard him softly draw
the great knife from the sheath, and in an
other second he had glided from her side.
Presently she saw the line of light that cut
out upon the darkness through the opening
of the tent broaden . little, aud by that
she knew that he was creeping in upon his
dreadful GRAND. Then she turned her
head and put her fingers in her ears. But
even so she could see n long line of shadow
travelling across the skirt of the tent. So
she shut her eyes also, and waited, sick at
heart, for she did not dare to move.
Presently-it might shaye been five
minutes or only half y minute afterwards,
for she had lost count of time, she felt
somebody touch her on the arm. 1t was
Jantie.
as IL doneP' she whispered again.
He shook his head and drew her away
from the tent. In going her foot caught
in one of the guide-ropes and shook 1t
slightly.
~ could not do it, missile, he said. He
is asleep and looks inst like n child. When
lifted the knife he smiled in his sleep,
and all the strength went ont of my arm,
so that / could not strike. And then be
fore | could get strong again the ghost OF
the old En~glishwoman came and hit me in
the back, and | ran away"
Ifa look could have blasted n man
Jantje would assuredly have been blasted
then. The mans cowardice made her
mad, but while she still chOked with wrath
a duiker buck, which had come down from
its stony home to feed upon the rose
bushes, suddenly spraug with a crash al
most from their feet, passing away like a
gray CLEAN into the utter darkness.
jess started and then recovered herself,
guessing what it was, hat the miserable
Hottentot was overcome with terror, and
fell upon the ground grOaning ont that it
WAS the ghost of the old Englishwoman.
He had dropped the knife as he fell, and
jess, seeing the imminent peril in which
they were placed, knelt down, picked it
up. and Kissed into bis Ear that il lac were
not quiet she would kill him.
TIL, naci6A1 him n LITTLE hut no earthly